Collapsible drawers and chest

ABSTRACT

A collapsible chest of drawers is provided. Front and rear frames are formed with vertical corner posts joined by horizontally aligned shelf supports. Flexible material extends between pairs of shelf supports to form shelves to hold the drawers. The front and rear frames are joined at each side by a side frame having legs rotatably joined in an X shape with the opposing ends of each leg rotatably fastened to a different one of the front and rear frames. The upper or lower legs also translate so the front and rear frames can move toward each other to a collapsed configuration. A folding brace holds the frames in the expanded, use position. The drawers may also be collapsible.

BACKGROUND

A chest of drawers is usually large and bulky as the drawers need toslide in and out of the supporting chest and the chest has to be largeenough and strong enough to support the drawers and the items containedin the drawers. But shipping assembled chests of drawers is bulky andexpensive.

Collapsible chests of drawers typically have flat side and back panelsthat may hinge together at corners, or be separated and attached bybrackets and connectors. But hinged panels are large and heavy, and itis cumbersome and time consuming to assemble chests using brackets andconnectors. Moreover, the shipping and assembly costs are high. There isthus a need for an improved chest of drawers that has a compact shippingconfiguration, that can be shipped more cheaply, and that is easilyassembled.

BRIEF SUMMARY

A collapsible chest of drawers is provided having front and rear framesformed with vertical corner posts joined by horizontally aligned shelfsupports. Flexible material extends between aligned pairs of shelfsupports to form shelves to hold the drawers. The front and rear framesare joined at each side by a collapsible and expandable side framehaving two elongated members rotatably joined in an X configurationshape with the opposing ends of each member rotatably fastened to adifferent post on one of the front and rear frames. The side frames areparallel. Both upper or both lower ends of the members also translatealong the post to which they are connected. Thus, the front and rearframes can move toward each other to a collapsed configuration and awayfrom each other for a storage and shipping configuration. A braceextends between the front and rear frames to them in the expandedposition during use. The drawers may also be collapsible by having aremovable hard bottom, with sides that are hinged in the middle so thedrawer can fold into a stack with the folded sides between the front andrear of the drawer.

There is further provided a collapsible chest of drawers having a frontand rear with two opposing sides. The chest of drawers comprises acollapsible frame having a front frame formed by first and second frontcorner posts connected by a plurality of shelf supports and a rear frameformed by first and second rear corner posts connected by a plurality ofshelf supports. The shelf supports on the front and rear frames aregenerally aligned with each other when the first posts are opposite eachother and the second posts are opposite each other during use. A sheetof flexible material extends between and is connected to a pair of thegenerally aligned front and rear supports to form a generally horizontalsupport for a drawer during use. First and second collapsible andgenerally parallel side supports connect the front and rear frames. Theside supports have two elongated members with each elongated memberhaving a first end rotatably connected to one of the first or secondposts and an opposing second end rotatably and slidably connected to theother of the first or second post. The elongated members are rotatablyjoined between the first and second ends and for a crossed or X-shapedconfiguration. First and second braces extend between and are configuredto be connected to different ones of the opposing front and rear cornerposts to position the frames relative to each other during use. At leastone drawer is provided that is sized to fit between adjacent shelfsupports and the front corner posts as the drawer slides on the at leastone shelf. The drawer has a depth about the same as the distance betweenfront and rear frames.

In further variations, the collapsible chest of drawers may have atleast one brace rotatably connected to a corner posts. Each brace mayhave two legs joined at a rotatable joint located between the front andrear posts to allow the brace legs to move toward and away from eachother as the front and rear frames move toward and away from each other.The braces may have a first substantially straight position placing thefront and rear posts to which the brace is connected at a predetermineddistance. The braces may have a second folded position with the frontand rear frames adjacent each other. Advantageously, there are twobraces on each side of the chest of drawers, one adjacent a bottom andone adjacent a top of the front frame. Preferably, one or more of thebraces is rotatably connected to the front and rear posts at the samelocation as the rotatable end of the elongated members. Further, arotation stop may be provided on a plurality of the braces, with thestop located to resist further rotation of the legs in one directionwhen the brace is substantially straight.

In still further variations, a top may be placed over a top end of thefour posts. The shelves may be removably fastened to the shelf supports.Preferably there is a plurality of drawers, each of which iscollapsible. The collapsible drawers may include a drawer havingopposing front and rear panels joined by two opposing sides and aflexible bottom, with the sides being hinged at the middle to allow thesides to fold inward as the front and rear panels move toward eachother.

In still further variations, the shelf supports are permanently fastenedto the corner posts, preferably by welding. The second ends of theelongated members are preferably rotatably fasten to a mount encirclinga majority of a corner post, the mount is configured to slide along alength of the post between adjacent shelf supports, and preferably has acylindrical passage through which the corner post slides.

There is also provided a kit for a chest of drawers having a front andopposing back with two opposing sides. The kit includes front and rearframes each having two corner posts joined by a plurality of generallyparallel shelf supports located to form a plurality of generallyhorizontal shelves during use. The kit also includes a plurality offlexible shelves configured to extend between and connect to a pair ofaligned shelf supports to form the horizontal shelves during use. Twocollapsible and parallel side supports are provided, each joining thefront and rear frames to form a generally rectangular enclosure duringuse. Each side support has two crossed members rotatably joined to forman X shape during use. The crossed members have two top or two bottomdistal ends that are fastened to allow translation along a length of thepost to which the member is fastened as well as allowing rotation, andwith the other of the top or bottom distal ends fastened to the posts toallow rotation. The side supports have a first, folded position with thecrossed members close together when the front and rear frames areadjacent to each other and a second, expanded position with the crossedmembers spread apart when the front and rear frames are separated foruse to support drawers. The kit has at least one brace extending betweenthe front and rear frames to limit the relative movement of the framesin the second expanded position. A plurality of collapsible drawers isalso included, with the drawers sized to fit into the shelves duringuse.

In further variations, the kit includes a brace formed by an elongatedmember rotatably connected to a post on one of the front or rear framesand releasably engaging a post on the other of the front and rearframes. Advantageously, there are four braces, two connected to each ofthe front and rear corner posts. The brace may alternatively comprise atwo members rotatably joined at the middle and having a first endrotatably connected to the front frame and a second opposing endrotatably connected to the second frame. The rotatably joined bracemembers may have a stop to limit relative rotation of the joinedmembers. The stop may be located so the rotatable joint moves away froman adjacent end of the frame as the front and rear frames move towardeach other. The kit may also include a top sized to fit over a top ofthe corner posts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the invention will be betterunderstood by reference to the following drawings in which like numbersrefer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a three drawer chest having acollapsible frame and collapsible drawers;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a four drawer chest;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the expanded frame for the chest of FIG.1, with drawer supports between opposing frame members and no drawers ortop;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an expanded frame for the chest of FIG.1, with a top ready to apply to the frame and no drawer supports;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a partially collapsed frame for thechest of FIG. 1, with no drawer supports between opposing frame members;

FIG. 6 a is a perspective view of the drawer of FIG. 1 with a differenthandle and a stiff bottom in the drawer;

FIG. 6 b is a perspective view of the drawer of FIG. 6 a, with thebottom removed and in a semi-collapsed configuration;

FIG. 6 c is an exploded perspective view of the drawer of FIG. 6 ashowing two handles;

FIG. 6 d is a sectional view taken along section 6 d-6 d of FIG. 6 c;

FIG. 7 a is a perspective view of the chest of drawers of FIG. 2 in acollapsed position, with the collapsed drawers placed on the collapsedframe;

FIG. 7 b is a perspective view of the chest of drawers of FIG. 7, with atop on the drawers, covering stacked drawer bottoms underneath the top;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a bottom corner of the chest of drawersof FIG. 1, showing a shelf removably attached to a shelf support; and

FIG. 9 is a view of an alternative embodiment of the brace extendingbetween the front and rear frames.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1-6, the chest of drawers 10 has a collapsible frame12 holding one or more drawers 14 that are optionally, but preferablycollapsible. A top 16 covers the top of the frame 12. As used herein,the directions up or down, top or bottom, above or below, front or rear,are with respect to the orientation of the chest of drawers 10 andassociated parts as shown in FIGS. 1-2. As indicated by FIGS. 1-2, thechest of drawers 10 can have any desirable number of drawers 14.

The frame 12 has a quadrilateral shape and is formed by four generallyvertical corner posts 18 located at the corners. Two corner posts 18 aare at the front and two posts 18 b are at the back. Drawer or shelfsupports 20 extend generally horizontal between corner posts 18. Frontsupports 20 a extend between front corner posts 18 a and rear supportsextend between rear corner posts 18 b. The supports 20 may be fastenedto the corner posts 18 by welding, adhesives, connectors, brackets, orby fitting ends of supports into mating holes in the posts. Welding ispreferred for metal supports 20 and posts 18. Adhesives or melted jointsare preferred for plastic or elastomeric supports 20 and posts 18.Tubular posts 18 and supports 20 are preferred, with metal posts andsupports having circular cross sections being most preferred. Theabutting ends of supports 20 may be shaped or notched to fit the shapeof posts 18, or to reduce costs the parts may simply abut each other andbe welded, melted or adhered or otherwise fastened. The connection ispreferably permanent rather than removable as with brackets orconnectors such as post and socket connectors, or with brackets havingopenings or slots into which protrusions extend to form the connection.Advantageously, the frame 12 is viewed as including a front frame thathas front posts 18 a joined by a plurality of shelf supports 20, and arear frame that includes rear corner posts 18 b joined by a plurality ofshelf supports 20. Each of the front and rear frames are preferablyrigid structures, with the supports 22 welded or permanently fastened tothe posts 18.

A support or shelf 22 extends between the front and back shelf supports20 a, 20 b. Preferably the shelf 22 comprises a sheet of flexiblematerial fastened to the supports 20 a, 20 b. Canvas, fabric, nylon,plastic or other flexible materials are believed suitable for the shelf22. Various means can be used to fasten the flexible shelf 22 directlyto supports 20, including rivets, sewing, adhesives, melting,hook-and-loop fasteners, etc. Preferably the shelf 22 is a flexiblesheet of material that is folded back on itself to form an extended loopor channel through which the support 20 passes. The releasable hook andloop fastener 24 allows removal of the shelves for easier cleaning, andallows the shelves to be more easily fastened to the supports 20 afterthe frame 12 is formed. Flexible shelves 22 also allow front and rearposts 18 a, 18 b to move toward each other for compact storage, with theshelves 22 sagging downward or otherwise folding as the front posts 18 aand supports 20 a move toward the rear post 18 b and supports 20 b. Asseen in FIG. 8, releasable fasteners such as hook and loop strips 24 canextend along the front and rear edges of the shelf to form an elongatedloop or channel to releasably encircle supports 20 and thus supportshelf 22.

Opposing side supports 26 extend between and join the front and backcorner posts 18 a, 18 b on opposing sides of the chest of drawers 10.The side supports 26 are preferably formed of crossing supports 26 a, 26b and optionally rotatably connected at the center. Flat straps arepreferred, but other cross-sectional shapes can be used. Thus, the frontand rear frames are movably joined by side supports 26 located on andjoined to opposing sides of the front and rear frames.

As the front posts 18 a move toward the rear posts 18 b (or vice versa)to collapse the frame 12, the side supports 26 will increase in lengthif left unrestrained, as the two legs forming each side support 26 foldfrom a crossing, X shape into a single line of overlapping and alignedparts. Thus, the upper or lower ends of the support 26 are rotatablymounted to the posts 18, while the other lower or upper ends are mountedto rotate and translate. In the depicted embodiment, a first, lower endof each support 26 a, 26 b is rotatably fastened to one of the cornerposts 18 a, 18 b. Bolts, rivets, pins, screws, or other fasteners thatallow rotation of the support 26 a, 26 b about the fastener may be used,with the fastener orientated to allow posts 18 a and 18 b move towardeach other or apart from each other. The second, upper end of supports26 a, 26 b also rotates and further translates along the length of thepost 18 to which they are connected. Mounting sleeves 28 encircle aportion, and preferably encircle all of a corner post 18 a or 18 b andslide along the length of the encircled post. Each mounting sleeve 28may have a yoke formed by a pair of parallel walls forming a slot intowhich the second end of supports 26 a, 26 b extends and is rotatablyfastened, as for example, by a pin passing through the support 26 andwalls of the yoke. This allows the first (lower) ends of the supports 26to rotate as the second (upper) ends rotate and translate which occurswhen front posts 18 a and rear posts 18 b move toward each other tocollapse the frame 12. While the upper ends of supports 26 are shown asrotating and translating, the upper ends could be rotate only with thelower ends rotating and translating. If the sleeve 28 encircles all ofpost 18, then it must be located so it can slide along the post 18between the expanded and collapsed configuration of the frame 12 withouthitting one of the shelf supports 20.

The rotatable connections are preferably formed by pins, rivets, boltsor other elongated fasteners oriented parallel to the intersection ofthe planes formed by the generally horizontal shelves 22 and the twogenerally vertical back posts 18 b-18 b or the plane formed by thegenerally vertical front posts 18 a-18 a. Alternatively, the first andsecond ends of supports 26 may be connected by a single pin, rivet orbolt parallel to the above defined intersection. Other connectors andconnections can be used as long as one pair of ends on supports 26 a, 26b rotate while the other ends rotate and translate. Connections that donot require rotation and translation can be used. The crossed supports26 a, 26 b form a generally X shaped support 26. While a single X-shapedsupport 26 is shown on each side of the frame 12, more than one could beused, in which case all connections with the posts 18 would rotate andtranslate except for one horizontally aligned pair of connections whichwould only rotate.

At least one and preferably two braces 32 are provided on each side ofthe frame. Advantageously the braces 32 comprise a pair of segments orlegs hinged or rotatably joined at the middle by a rotatable connector34, as for example by a pin, bolt or rivet. The opposing ends of thebrace 32 are connected to opposing posts 18 a, 18 b, preferably at thesame rotatable connection as fastens the side supports 26 to the posts18. Brace 32 stops the corner posts 18 a from moving too far from posts18 b. Advantageously, the flexible shelf supports 20 are sized to alsolimit movement of the front posts 18 a away from the rear posts 18 b, atthe same distance as allowed by braces 32.

One segment of the brace 32 has a rotation stop 36 extending in adirection to hit the other segment of the brace and limit relativerotation of the parts. The stop 36 can include a ledge on an edge of onesegment of brace 32 which ledge extends inward toward an inside of theframe 12 a distance sufficient to abut the other segment of the brace.Pins, screws, offset portions of the frame members 26 or otherprojections can be used to form the stop 36. The stop 36 is preferablylocated so the segments of brace 32 are aligned and form a straightline. The stop 36 rotates out of engagement with the other segment ofthe brace 32 when the frame 12 is collapsed. The rotation stop 36prevents the segments forming brace 32 from moving or folding in onedirection as the frame 12 is collapsed and forces the segments to foldin a desired direction.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the rotation stop 36 is advantageouslylocated on the side of the brace 32 which is toward the lateralcenterline of the frame 12 so the brace segments fold inward and do notextend above or below the top or bottom of the collapsed frame. Thus,the brace 32 located toward the top of the frame 12 has stop 36 on thebottom of the brace, with the brace segments folding downward as theframe 12 collapses. The brace 32 located on the bottom of the frame 12has the stop 36 located on the top of the brace so the brace segmentsfold upward as the frame 12 collapses. In the depicted embodiment thelower brace 32 is rotatably connected to opposing corner posts 18 a, 18b through the same connectors that fasten the ends of side supports 26to the posts. The upper brace and lower braces 32 are advantageouslyrotatably connected to the corner posts 18 at a distance offset from theends of the posts by a few inches. As seen in FIGS. 1-2, the opposingends of brace 32 may be fastened to the sliding sleeves 28.

As desired, protective end-caps 38 can be placed over the ends of cornerposts 18 to prevent the ends of the posts from damaging abuttingsurfaces. Rubber and elastomeric caps are known and believed adequatefor end caps 38.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 6, drawers 14 are sized and shaped to fitbetween lateral shelf supports 20 and corner posts 18, preferably so thefront of the drawer is generally aligned with the front facing surfaceof front posts 18 a and the rear of the drawer is generally aligned withthe rearward facing surface of rear posts 18 b. The sides of the drawerare sized to fit between posts 18 and side supports 16, and preferablyslightly inset from those parts. The drawers 14 are thus sized to fitwithin the shelves of the frame and rest upon the supports 20 and shelf22 as the drawers are pulled out of and inserted into the frame 12.

The drawers 14 may have optional handles 40. The handles may takevarious forms, including hinged handles, flexible straps with one orboth ends fastened to the drawer, or holes allowing fingers to grab andmove the drawer. The depicted embodiment shows handles 40 comprisingopenings in the front of the drawer, with grommets defining the openingsso fingers can hook through the openings and pull the drawers out. Asreflected by FIGS. 1 and 2, which show three and four drawers 40,respectively, the chest of drawers 10 can have any desired number ofdrawers, with the frame 12 being configured accordingly. Thus, the frame12 accommodates one or more drawers 40.

As best seen in FIGS. 1, 2 and 6, the drawers 14 are preferablyrectangular in shape and collapsible. As used herein, rectangularincludes a square shape or cubic. The drawers 14 have opposing front andback surfaces 42 a, 42 b, respectively, joined by opposing sides 44, toform a rectangular shape. An optional flexible bottom 46 may connect tothe bottoms edge of the front 42 a, back 42 b and sides 44. The optionalbottom 46 is flexible, preferably made of fabric, canvas, nylon, plasticetc. The sides 44 are hinged at the corners and middle to form hingelines 48 allowing the sides 44 to fold inward toward the inside of thedrawer so the front and back 42 a, 42 b can move toward each other toform a compact, generally flat configuration for shipping or storage. Tomaintain the drawer shape during use, a stiff bottom 50 is inserted intothe expanded drawer, with the bottom 50 sized to restrain inwardmovement of the front 42 a, back 42 b and sides 44 of the drawer. If aflexible bottom 46 is provided, the stiff bottom 50 rests thereon. Ifthe bottom 46 is absent, then the stiff bottom 50 must fasten to thefront, back and sides by other mechanisms, as by ledges, fasteners orconnectors. A strap or loop handle 52 may optionally be fastened to thebottom 50 to make it easier to remove the bottom for storage.

The drawer 14 is preferably made of stiff inserts or boards 54, such asMDF, cardboard or stiff plastic, encased in pockets formed by walls 56made of flexible material such as fabric, nylon, canvas or plastic.Seams 58 around the edges of the rectangular drawer 14 preferably jointhe edges of walls 56.

One collapsible drawer is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,923,516, thecomplete contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

The top 16 is optional, and may comprise any sheet of material coveringthe top of the frame 12. Advantageously the top 16 has a shallow boxshape with a generally flat top surface 60 joined to sides 62. The topsurface 60 is advantageously sized so the sides 60 fit snugly over theframe 12 during use, with the top surface 60 being stiff enough tosupport the weight of items placed on the top 16, and with the sides 62engaging the corner posts 18 sufficiently to help support the topsurface 60.

During use, the frame 12 is held in its expanded configuration by braces32 and stops 36. Side supports 26 help hold the corner posts 18 inposition and strengthen the frame 12. Top 16 is fit over the cornerposts 18 and may further help maintain the position of the frame 12.Shelves 22 extend between and are connected to opposing and alignedsupports 20 a, 20 b. Drawers 20 are expanded, held in their shape bystiff bottom 50, and slid onto shelves 22.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 6 and 7, for storage the drawers 20 are removedfrom the frame 12, the stiff bottom 50 is removed by pulling on handle52, and then the front 42 a and back 42 b are moved toward each otherwhile the sides 44 move inward by folding at hinge line 48. That resultsin a flat, rectangular configuration with the flexible bottom 46 foldedinside the collapsed configuration, or outside as is desired. Thedrawers 14 may be collapsed and placed against the collapsed frame 12for compact shipping or storage.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3-5, after the drawers 20 are removed, thebraces 32 are released and the posts 18 a and 18 b moved toward eachother, causing the braces to bend in to V-shapes and supports 26 to movefrom a broad based X-shape into a small base, elongated X shape. Theconnectors 34 on braces 32 preferably move toward each other. Theshelves 22 hang or fold between the supports 20, or may optionally beremoved if the shelves are removably connected to the shelf supports 20.

Referring to FIG. 7, the posts 18 a, 18 b are placed adjacent each otherwhen fully collapsed. The collapsed drawers 20 are placed between theposts 18, and the top 16. The stiff shelf bottoms 50 may be stackedinside the top 16 which is in turn placed on top of the collapseddrawers 14. Alternatively, one or more drawers may be stacked on top ofthe drawers 14 adjacent the top. Either assembly may then be placed in aflexible container, such as a plastic bag, to hold the parts togetherduring shipping. Alternatively, removable bands may encircle thestacked, collapsed parts to hold them together during shipping. Ashipping container encloses the collapsed and stacked parts forshipping. Cardboard is believed to provide a suitable shippingcontainer. A shipping container with dimensions of about 30×3×15 inchesis believed suitable to hold a four drawer chest of drawers having anexpanded size of about 28 inches height, with a width of about 14 inchesand a depth of about 11 inches, using drawers that are about 12.5 incheswide by about 10 inches deep and about 5 inches high.

The brace 32 is shown above as a folding, hinged member with opposingends permanently fastened to opposing front and rear posts 18 a, 18 b.But the brace 32 could be releasably fastened to one or both posts. FIG.9 shows a hinged brace 32 made of a single elongated member with one endrotatably fastened to rear post 18 b, and with a hook 64 on the opposingend configured to engage a slot in the front post 18 a, or configured toengage a projection extending outward from the front post to positionthe posts relative to each other and to restrain relative movement ofthose posts and of the front and rear portions of the frame 12. Whethera single piece brace 32 is used or a two segment, hinged brace is used,there is provided hinge means for positioning the front and rear framesor posts relative to each other during use.

As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosedherein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodimentsare merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in variousforms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosedherein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis forthe claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in theart to variously employ the present invention in virtually anyappropriately detailed structure.

The posts 18, shelf supports 22, side supports 26 and sleeves 28 arepreferably made of metal. Posts 18 and supports 22 made of tubes withcircular cross sections are preferred, while side supports 26 arepreferable made of metal straps about .5 inches wide and about .2 inchesthick. But suitably strong plastic or elastomeric materials may also beused, especially for posts 18 and shelf supports 22. The exactdimensions of the parts will vary according to design and manufacturingconsiderations.

The above description is given by way of example, and not limitation.Given the above disclosure, one skilled in the art could devisevariations that are within the scope and spirit of the invention,including various ways of rotatably fastening the supports 26 to posts18, of fastening shelf supports 20 to the posts 18, and of fasteningflexible shelves 22 to shelf supports 20. Further, the various featuresof this invention can be used alone, or in varying combinations witheach other and are not intended to be limited to the specificcombination described herein. Thus, the invention is not to be limitedby the illustrated embodiments but is to be defined by the followingclaims when read in the broadest reasonable manner to preserve thevalidity of the claims.

1. A collapsible chest of drawers having a front and rear with twoopposing sides, comprising: a collapsible frame having a front frameformed by first and second front corner posts connected by a pluralityof shelf supports and a rear frame formed by first and second rearcorner posts connected by a plurality of shelf supports that aregenerally aligned with the shelf supports of the front frame when thefirst posts are opposite each other and the second posts are oppositeeach other; at least one shelf comprising a sheet of flexible materialextending between and connected to a pair of the generally aligned frontand rear supports to form a generally horizontal support during use;first and second collapsible and generally parallel side supports eachhaving two elongated members, each elongated member having a first endrotatably connected to one of the first or second posts and an opposingsecond end rotatably and slidably connected to the other of the first orsecond post, the elongated members being rotatably joined between thefirst and second ends; first and second braces extending between andconfigured to be connected to different ones of the opposing front andrear corner posts during use; at least one drawer sized to fit betweenadjacent shelf supports and the front corner posts as the drawer slideson one of the at least one shelf.
 2. The collapsible chest of drawers ofclaim 1, wherein at least one brace is rotatably connected to one of thecorner posts, each brace having two legs joined at a rotatable jointlocated between the front and rear posts to allow the brace legs to movetoward and away from each other as the front and rear frames move towardand away from each other, the braces having a first substantiallystraight position placing the front and rear posts to which the brace isconnected at a predetermined distance, the braces having a second foldedposition with the front and rear frames adjacent each other;
 3. Thecollapsible chest of drawers of claim 1, wherein there are a pluralityof drawers, each of which is collapsible.
 4. The collapsible chest ofdrawers of claim 1, wherein there are two braces on each side of thechest of drawers, one adjacent a bottom and one adjacent a top of thefront frame.
 5. The collapsible chest of drawers of claim 1, furthercomprising a top placed over a top end of the four posts.
 6. Thecollapsible chest of drawers of claim 1, wherein the shelves areremovably fastened to the shelf supports.
 7. The collapsible chest ofdrawers of claim 3, wherein the collapsible drawers each include adrawer having opposing front and rear panels joined by two opposingsides and a flexible bottom, with the sides being hinged at the middleto allow the sides to fold inward as the front and rear panels movetoward each other.
 8. The collapsible chest of drawers of claim 4,wherein one of the braces is rotatably connected to the front and rearposts at the same location as the rotatable end of the elongatedmembers.
 9. The collapsible chest of drawers of claim 4, furthercomprising a rotation stop on a plurality of the braces, the stoplocated to resist further rotation of the legs in one direction when thebrace is substantially straight.
 10. The collapsible chest of drawers ofclaim 1, wherein the shelf supports are permanently fastened to thecorner posts.
 11. The collapsible chest of drawers of claim 1, whereinthe second ends of the elongated members rotatably fasten to a mountencircling a majority of a corner post, the mount configured to slidealong a length of the post between adjacent shelf supports.
 12. A kitfor a chest of drawers having a front and opposing back with twoopposing sides, comprising: front and rear frames each having two cornerposts joined by a plurality of generally parallel shelf supports locatedto form a plurality of generally horizontal shelves during use; aplurality of flexible shelves configured to extend between and connectto a pair of aligned shelf supports during use to form the shelves; twocollapsible and parallel side supports each joining the front and rearframes to form a generally rectangular enclosure during use, each sidesupport having two crossed members rotatably joined to form an X shapeduring use having two top or two bottom distal ends that are fastened toallow translation along a length of the post to which the member isfastened as well as allowing rotation, and with the other of the top orbottom distal ends fastened to the posts to allow rotation, the sidesupports having a first, folded position with the crossed members closetogether when the front and rear frames are adjacent to each other andhaving a second expanded position with the crossed members spread apartwhen the front and rear frames are separated for use to support drawers;at least one brace extending between the front and rear frames to limitthe relative movement of the frames in the second expanded position; anda plurality of collapsible drawers sized to fit into the shelves duringuse.
 13. The kit of claim 12, wherein the brace comprises an elongatedmember rotatably connected to a post on one of the front or rear framesand releasably engaging a post on the other of the front and rearframes.
 14. The kit of claim 12, wherein the brace comprises two membersrotatably joined at the middle and having a first end rotatablyconnected to the front frame and a second opposing end rotatablyconnected to the second frame.
 15. The kit of claim 14, furthercomprising a stop to limit relative rotation of the joined members. 16.The kit of claim 15, wherein the stop is located so the rotatable jointmoves away from an adjacent end of the frame as the front and rearframes move toward each other.
 17. The kit of claim 12, furthercomprising a top sized to fit over a top of the corner posts.
 18. Thekit of claim 14, wherein there are four braces, two connected to each ofthe front and rear corner posts.